The role of RGB LEDs in the PC space has vastly expanded in the last 5 years. So too has the complexity of control for all the disparate accessory designs. Addressable RGB LEDs are a huge leap towards greater user control, and with the ArrRGB DAC from Solarity Technology, you can integrate any RGB LED device into your addressable RGB control.
Razer's most recent addition to the market of lightweight mice, the Viper, is now available wireless as well. The Viper Ultimate combines the all-new Focus+ sensor, improved wireless tech, and a highly competitive weight of just 74g to compete with Logitech's current wireless flagship, the G Pro Wireless.
The small form factor market has gained a lot of traction over the past decade, and hardware vendors have engaged in an arms race to cram as many features as possible into SFF motherboards. ASUS has landed a decisive blow in that fight with the ROG Crosshair VIII Impact. ALL the features of a full ATX board have been put into a package slightly larger than Mini-ITX.
Team Group presents another entry into their high-performance memory line-up with the T-Force Dark Z. An anodized red heat spreader, no RGB lighting, and an XMP profile of 3600 MHz could prove to be an attractive package to the old school crowd.
The Lian Li Lancool II is, as the name implies, the second case under the Lancool family. Although a bit on the noisy side, it is a completely different enclosure than the first model, and manages to impress with its intricate design elements while remaining affordably priced and beautifully functional.
The Thermaltake Level 20 HT is a massive chassis meant for those who want to install uncompromising custom liquid cooling that can be shown off from all major angles. At above 20 kg, when empty, Thermaltake certainly continues their extreme approach with this chassis.
In a market saturated with RGB products, Silverstone has actually done more than simply stick increasing amounts of LEDs on another generic liquid cooler. Instead, with their new Permafrost PF240-ARGB, they not only have pretty lights, but also deliver top-tier performance. How's that for a twist!
The Seagate FireCuda 510 SSD impresses with transfer rates reaching 4 GB/s; random reads go up to 475k IOPS. Under the hood, the drive uses Toshiba 3D TLC flash paired with Hynix DDR4 DRAM. Sustained transfer rates are excellent, even when the large SLC cache is exhausted, and thermals are good, too.
The NZXT H710i chassis represents an incremental update to the original H700i with an improved Smart Device, different 2.5" HDD cages along with a few subtle internal modifications, and an updated I/O. Even though the frame may have been around for a few years now, it still looks as sleek as ever.
Endgame Gear is a new brand in the gaming peripherals market, but they certainly aren't rookies. Their first gaming mouse, the XM1, has a symmetrical shape and features a PixArt PMW3389 optical sensor, Omron switches rated for 50 million clicks, a very lightweight shell, and exceptionally fast click response times.
Sapphire's RX 5700 XT Nitro+ Special Edition is the fastest air-cooled Radeon RX 5700 XT on the market. It has what no other card has: overclocked memory. Noise levels and thermals of the adjustable RGB fans are impressive. Does it beat the PowerColor Red Devil?
Intel fires back with an HEDT refresh that promises higher clocks and significantly lower prices! ASRock is ready with the new ASRock X299 Taichi CLX. The X299 Taichi CLX boasts a powerful VRM, 2.5 Gb/s LAN, and a sleek modern aesthetic! How will it perform when paired with a new Intel i9-10900X?
You may not have heard of Sharkhan before, but the brand is currently establishing itself in the US market, and we get to put the X500, their first case, through our review process to see how it holds up against the fairly crowded mainstream market.
The RX 5500 Navi is AMD's ambitious attempt to disrupt the sub-$200 graphics card market just as the RX 5700 series did to the sub-$400 market, bringing in much needed competition. It won't be easy as NVIDIA tried to preempt it with the GTX 1650 Super and GTX 1660 Super.
NVIDIA's new GTX 1650 Super is 40% faster than the GTX 1650, which is a huge improvement. The card is priced competitively, too, obsoleting AMD's Radeon RX 580/590 offerings. MSI's Gaming X variant comes with a large cooler that offers great temperatures, extremely low gaming noise, and idle-fan-stop.
Zotac's GTX 1650 Super Twin Fan is only 16 cm long, which makes it a great choice for an SFF system or media PC. The card still offers plenty of gaming performance, exceeding the Radeon RX 580. Overclocking potential is outstanding; we managed to unlock over 10% in additional real-life performance.
Palit's GTX 1650 Super StormX OC is tiny, and barely longer than your PCIe slot at 16 cm, and has a single-fan heatsink; but looks can be woefully deceiving. This turned out to be the the fastest GTX 1650 Super we tested on launch day, toppling many segment leaders along the way.
Enermax looks to assert dominance in the mid-range CPU air cooling market with the ETS-T50 AXE ARGB. Offering new features such as an "Air Guide" and rotatable grill, alongside its crisp looks and hefty five heat pipes, this single-tower design is not only easy on the eyes, but exceptionally well built too.
When Thermaltake first launched their open-frame chassis, which was also VESA mountable, it was quite the bold move, but a few revisions later the P5 V2 TG has cemented itself as a pretty cool option if you want to show off all your hardware with the ability to do so in a really unique fashion.
Mechanicalkeyboards.com brings to market a refreshed Typist keyboard in the form of the aptly named MK Night Typist. With three Cherry MX switch options for different typing experiences paired with high build quality, white backlighting, and extensive onboard control over key assignment and layouts, it should interest many a working professional.
Two weeks ago, we released the 1usmus Power Plan for AMD Ryzen processors, which received a ton of attention. Both Microsoft and AMD got involved, releasing fixes on their own. Today, we're taking a look at the improvements these patches bring, and also got a new version of the power plan for you to download.
AMD's Athlon 3000G is the dream of every entry-level system builder. Priced at only $49, it offers four threads, integrated Vega graphics, and an unlocked multiplier. We overclocked it beyond 4 GHz with minimal voltage increases, and memory support has improved, too.
Antec launches their new Dark Avenger line of cases with the DA601 clearly geared towards gamers and enthusiasts who like flashy designs with RGB elements built right into the body, all without breaking the bank.
The Steampunk PS-750SP performs decently overall, despite the strange name. Efficiency is good, and the warranty is generous at seven years. Priced around $90 we take a closer look to see if it can challenge the offerings from EVGA, Seasonic and Corsair.
Finally a new Star Wars game! EA took inspiration from titles like Dark Souls, Sekiro, Uncharted, and Tomb Raider, and the rich Star Wars lore takes it to the next level. Under the hood, Fallen Order uses Unreal Engine 4, delivering good graphics with solid framerates on both AMD and NVIDIA hardware.
